Podcast: Lara Traboulsi on how Snap is ‘supercharging' Saudi National Day

Campaign ME

a day ago

On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East's On The Record podcast, Lara Traboulsi, Regional Creative Strategy Lead, Snap Inc., discusses how Saudi National Day has gone far beyond a one-day celebration of national pride, unity and cultural identity into a month-long celebration and convergence of commerce, community, culture and creativity.
Commenting on the cultural shift and what it means from brands and advertisers, Traboulsi begins the discussion saying, 'Saudi National Day is a beautiful celebration of collective expression. There's a lot of people who look back and take in the empowerment and progress achieved, but also looking forward with hope. But we're also seeing that this celebration is going so much beyond that. What was an annual celebration on September 23 of Saudi Arabia's history slowly become a week-long celebration, and now a month-long celebration.'
She adds, 'One of the most fascinating aspects is how much in advance people have started planning for Saudi National Day – whether that's what they're going to wear, what activities they want to be involved in, what places they want to be at to collectively celebrate it in their communities. This open interesting opportunities for brands because this thought process goes hand-in-hand with shopping moments such as what make-up, outfits, etc. they're going to buy, what recipes they want to prepare, and what festivities they want to partake in.'
Snap plays a key role in these moments by 'supercharging' content, commerce and key moments leading up to and around Saudi National Day, Traboulsi explains, keeping in mind that the platform hosts 25 million active users in the Kingdom alone.
She reveals, 'The data shows us that 65 per cent of Snapchatters in Saudi Arabia are planning to host gathering at home during the Saudi National Day festive period. These are people who go big for festivities. This means they want to make sure that the decorations and the outfits they're buying are on point. In fact, 52 per cent of Snapchatters are buying themed products for this moment; 85 per cent of people are creating lists to shop for well in advance of Saudi National Day; and what's really interesting is that about 77 per cent of Snapchatters are buying in bulk during this period.'
It's no surprise that Saudi National Day, similar to Ramadan or Eid celebrations, have become synonymous with brands providing offers and discounts, rewarding people in the Kingdom for investing in the celebration.
From a content perspective, Traboulsi highlights how Saudi consumers are choosing Snap as a platform to not only highlight how they're celebrating Saudi National Day, but how Snap is becoming part of their experience during the celebration.
'When it comes to Saudi National Day, what we're seeing is Saudi Snapchatters engaging with every single tab within the platform. Not only are they taking pictures, sharing it and posting it to their stories, but they're also looking at the Snapchat map, and zooming into the 'heated areas' on the map, to see what's trending, and find out where all the fun Saudi National Day celebrations are being held,' Traboulsi says.
She goes on to share how Snapchatters in Saudi Arabia are leaning into the camera, Snap lenses, augmented reality (AR) filters, and most recently, even welcoming Sponsored Snaps from brand ambassadors, Saudi influencers and major advertisers.
Traboulsi said, 'One of the things I love the most is how much people love the 'chat' on Snapchat, and we see how engaged they are. The chat is where they are making plans. They have groups on the chat which they use to decide what they're doing; that's where they're sending their greetings; that's where they share ideas of where to meet or what to shop for.'
She added, 'And what's really interesting this year – which was not there last year – is Sponsored Snaps: the ability to receive a Snap directly from a brand. This is where we ensure that it feels authentic, organic and seamless. There's also an evolution of Sponsored Snaps to include Sponsored Snaps from creators – a tool that even big Saudi brands such as stc group have tapped into.'
For more insights from a very intriguing conversation, watch the full video above, to understand how Saudi National Day has gone far beyond a date on the calendar into month-long celebration and a movement, which brands can lean into to connect more closely with Snapchatters and the wider Saudi Arabia audience.
CREDITS:
Guest: Lara Traboulsi, Regional Creative Strategy Lead, Snap Inc.
Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East
Production: Surajit Dutta, Content Production Manager, Motivate Media Group
Videography: Mark Mathew, Creative Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
Studio: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group
Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group